


He Really is Something Special

by orphan_account



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Baby Steven, Backstory, Gen, Here comes the mom squad, I mean I'm pretty sure it's canon in the show too but who knows, Mom Squad, Past Pearl/Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Requited Pearl/Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), There really isn't that much shipping so you should just ignore the relationship tags k, Unfinished, Yeah I'm making Pearl x Rose canon in this story so deal with it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 04:13:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7153043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose is gone. Now her son, Steven, has her gemstone, and is living on in her place. Not everyone is so welcoming of that fact.</p><p>The Crystal Gems know that Rose would have wanted them to take care of her son, but can they bring themselves to do that? Can they even accept that she's gone forever?</p><p> </p><p>(This story is just something I came up with one day, and I'll add more chapters to it if people are interested.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	He Really is Something Special

**Author's Note:**

> This story- if enough people are interested in it- will focus on the events after Steven's birth and Rose's "death." It will probably revolve around the Crystal Gem's reactions to everything, as well as their interactions with Steven and Greg. Each chapter will have a specific topic, theme, or character it's about. 
> 
> This first one is Pearl oriented. Just in case you didn't read the tags, Pearl/Rose is considered to be canon in this story. QwQ It's just my own personal headcanon, though, so I apologize if you don't support it. Hopefully that won't bother anyone too much.

### Silence Won't Bring her Back

It had been only about a month since Steven Quartz Universe had been born, and it was a very rocky month at that.

Due to his mother being a gem, and his father being a human, he needed to have her gem in order to live. Rose Quartz had willingly given up her physical form to bring him into the world, which was a heartbreaking turn of events her partner and the other gems suffered through. Yet, at the same time, it was so touching to all of them, and it reminded them that she would live on in her gem, which her son now wielded.

Well, all of them except one.

Pearl, her former ally in the war, confidant, and lover.

Hundreds upon hundreds of years before, the two gems had been very close. They had been the instigators of the rebellion, with Rose leading the fight to protect the planet known as Earth, and Pearl supporting every decision she made. Eventually, after many decades of violence, the war was won.

The thing was, Pearl had always admired Rose from afar, but once the battling had ceased, her feelings for the Quartz only grew more. However, their relationship was not a one-sided, unrequited crush. Rose did return her feelings for a short amount of time, which made the both of happy. They loved each other, simple as that.

But that's when Rose began to observe humans.

She was utterly fascinated by them, and often don't just as much time out around them as with her fellow kind. Garnet and Amethyst didn't see anything off about it, but Pearl became worried. Their relationship, as small as it was, was already crumbling apart, and she didn't know how to save it.

The day Rose and Greg met sealed the fate of their romance for good. She immediately took a liking to him, and they soon began to fall in love with each other.

Pearl tried desperately to salvage what they had before, by spending as much time with Rose as she could, or trying to warn off Greg by reminding him how he wasn't a gem and was more of a "phase" than anything. It didn't take long for Greg to realize that Pearl loved Rose, but he chose not to address it, and instead waved it off as jealousy. He knew just as well as she did that she couldn't change anything.

Their relationship flourished more and more over the years, while Pearl grew to feel abandoned. And the day that Rose and Greg shared with the rest of the Crystal Gems that they were having a baby, she felt completely alone.

As Rose's pregnancy wore on, she grew aware that she and her unborn child could not both live at the same time. She would have to give up her gem and physical form in order to bring him or her into the world.

And that's what she wanted to do.

When Rose brought this information to Pearl's attention, she completely lost it. Screaming and sobbing furiously, she refused to admit it. Even though Rose had suddenly turned away from Pearl and chosen to love someone else over her, she didn't want Rose to leave, no matter what.

And then, the fateful day finally came.

Rose asked for Pearl to come speak to her, and she did. They talked for what felt like forever, sharing words that no one else would hear.

However, Pearl wasn't there when the child was born. She couldn't bear to see Rose leave forever, so she decided to not be around when it happened.

She had ran off, and no one knew where she went. 

For two weeks.

Greg didn't really know what to think of her absence, but honestly, all he cared about was taking care of his son, Steven. 

Amethyst seemed particularly disappointed in Pearl, usually going silent when she was mentioned.

Garnet decided to take charge, since she already was the main leader of their group, anyways. Though, deep down, she kind of wished Pearl was there. 

But, after those lengthy two weeks of time had passed, Pearl eventually returned to their beach house, refusing to speak to anyone.

She was clearly still brokenhearted and depressed, and Greg and the gems tried their best to help her. But trying to talk to a mute person is impossible.

They realized they'd just have to deal with it until she got over her own issues and decided to speak again. But they didn't know how long it would last.

It had now been a month since Steven was born, and things had not changed much.

Pearl watched from the corner of the room, her light blue eyes glassed over with so many emotions at once that her expression was unreadable. She had her arms crossed, and she leaned up against the wall, staring at Garnet as she held the baby.

"You're missing out, P." Amethyst said aloud while a satirical smirk spread across her face. "This kiddo's a lot of fun."

Pearl furrowed her eyebrows in response.

"But I guess you'd only understand if you were any." Amethyst deadpanned to herself, though the pearl could still clearly hear her. The tall gem dug her nails into her pale arms, yet her stare didn't falter at all.

"Amethyst." Garnet scolded simply, turning to look directly at the lavender colored gem.

"You know it's true, Garnet! All she ever does is stand around and feel sorry for herself!" Amethyst retorted sharply, casting a short glare at the older gem still leaned against the wooden wall.

"I've gotta agree with Garnet on this one," Greg threw in, despite her not actually giving much of an opinion. "Just give her time to sort this out for herself."

"What's there to sort out?!" Amethyst confronted, but was quickly shushed by Garnet.

"The baby." She pointed out simply. Amethyst rolled her eyes in response.

"She may need time to let it all go." Greg suggested. "Probably a lot of time." He added, muttering.

Pearl shifted her feet, and Greg looked over to her and was met with her glaring daggers at him, as if she dared him to go on.

"Yeah, no kidding." Amethyst agreed, clearly not caring that Pearl was listening to their conversation. "I don't think she's ever gonna get over her issues. She can't even get over Ro-"

Pearl had already instantly moved in front of the door and pulled it open- almost ripping it off its hinges. She raced outside and jumped over the edge of the balcony before sprinting up the hillside.

"Amethyst!" Garnet suddenly snapped, standing up while still cradling Steven. "That's enough!"

"I had to get her out of here somehow." She shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "She clearly needs some more time to be alone. All I did was give her a reason to leave."

The three people sat in awkward silence for several moments before Greg spoke up. "Is... uh, she gonna be okay?"

Amethyst's expression shifted to one of unease. "I... don't know. You... you should go talk to her, Greg."

"What?" He was taken aback by this. Pushing his lengthy hair behind his shoulders, he asked, "Uh, why me?"

Garnet looked at him, her expression still. "You two have some things you need to talk out."

"Aw... Garnet..." Greg grumbled to himself, his voice hanging with dread. "Do I have to do this right now?"

"It's better to now." She replied sternly. "Otherwise, it may end up being too late."

"Ugh." Greg grouched under his breath, standing upright and making his way over to the door.

"Good luck, Greg." Garnet waved, while Steven stirred in his slumber.

"Yeah, and see if you can get her to talk again!" Amethyst chuckled, though her eyes showed that she was still concerned about Pearl.

"Yep, I'll try." Greg hesitated for a few seconds beige taking a deep breath and marching out the door and up the hill, to where Pearl was sitting with her legs crossed on the edge of the cliff, staring out at the ocean.

'I have to do this.' He told himself, clenching his hands into fists. 'Might as well get this over with.'

"H-hey, Pearl."

The gem sharply turned her head to look at the human as he sat down a few feet away from her. He offered a small smile, but her glaring gaze made it wither away. She turned her body away from him and brought her knees up to her chest.

"We... uh, need to talk." Greg sighed, knowing this would not be easy.

Pearl didn't respond at all, so he went on.

"So, uh... are you actually gonna say anything?"

She turned her head and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'll take that as a no." Greg muttered in frustration.

Silence followed.

"Pearl... you can't be silent forever."

She blinked, her eyes glinting to reflect her pain.

"What... do you need..?" Greg asked with as much sincerity as he could muster towards the gem he had never managed to get along with. "What can we do to help you?"

Pearl didn't say a word.

"Look, Pearl, I'm..." He leaned back and rubbed his forehead, trying to think of the right words to say. "I'm sorry. You... you must really hate me, after everything I've done, but... it tears me up to see you like this."

She looked at the dull-colored grass at her feet and shook her head.

"You... don't hate me?"

She nodded.

"Then... why do always act like you do?"

No response.

Greg sighed again, dreading his next question. "Did... Rose tell you... that she had to give up her gem-"

Pearl nodded curtly, so he cut his question off. "So... you did know." More nodding.

Greg didn't know what else to say. He shifted uneasily, wondering to himself, 'how on Earth am I supposed to help her? What can I say?'

"Pearl, I... I want you to be honest with me here." She turned her attention to him, though she still seemed heavily distracted by her thoughts. "Do you..." He took a brief pause, and then finally asked the question."...wish that Rose was here... instead of Steven?"

Pearl didn’t really react to the question all that much. But she definitely didn't feel comfortable answering it, as Greg could notice the unease in her stare. Her eyes began to water, and she quickly turned away.

And she nodded, burying her face in her hands.

Greg frowned, though he had expected her to answer this way. "I... I understand." He dipped his head simply. "But, Pearl... you do realize that Steven has his mother's gem, right?"

Pearl looked back at him, her eyes glazed with sadness.

"She is still here, in a way." He smiled, resting his hands on his knees. "She lives on in Steven."

Pearl gave a very slight nod, but hid her face as she ran her fingers through her pink-tinted hair.

"And.... I think Rose would want us all to take care of Steven for her."

Pearl didn't move.

"Pearl, I..." Greg exhaled heavily, thinking about his next few words very carefully. "I'm sorry. For... everything. I... I know you... must've loved her a lot, and I... I know I got in the way of that."

For the first time in weeks, Pearl's eyes reflected to show surprise instead of anguish and loneliness. She wiped a tear off of her face and continued to listen to him.

"I don't expect you to forgive me. You don't have to." Greg told her. "But, Pearl... please don't blame Steven for what happened."

She didn't say a word, so he went on.

"It's not his fault. You... you can't blame him."

Pearl remained motionless for a few moments. Then she nodded, her eyes still heavy with tears.

"Thank you, Pearl."

She nodded again.

"Do you... just need time..?" Greg asked, his voice filled with concern.

She dipped her head, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Do you want to be alone right now?"

A final nod.

Greg understood. He stood back up, but before he left, he rested his hand on her shoulder sympathetically. She flinched slightly at the gesture, so he pulled his hand away and simply smiled.

"Just know that we're here for you."

She didn't reply; Turning away, she stared up at the glowing stars in the dark blue midnight sky with tears running down her face.

And after she was sure Greg was gone, she collapsed into grief-filled sobs, crying out in distress, into the darkness of the night.

•••

Greg was stirred from his sleep on the couch as the rays of sunlight beaming through the window hit him right in the face. He growled to himself and rolled over on his other side, refusing to get up.

The front door of the house clicked as it swung open. Greg begrudgingly turned his head to look at the person who was entering the house, but immediately sat up when he realized it was Pearl.

She slowly shut the door and then walked over to the kitchen counter to sit on top of it. Though gems did not need to sleep, she still looked exhausted, with her eyes tinted a dull grey.

"Pearl, did you stay out there all night?" Greg asked in slight disbelief. She nodded in reply, and he shook his head. "Well, I hope..."

His voice trailed off as the crying voice of a baby filled the room. Steven was wailing, resting in his crib across the room.

Greg stood and went over to his son, picking him up in his arms and comforting him. "Shh... hey there... there's no need to cry."

Steven looked up at him with big, black eyes. He'd already stopped making noise and was now staring at his father innocently.

Greg made an over-the-top goofy grin at the baby, and Steven began to laugh, reaching his short arms out to his father, trying to reach for his beard.

"See? I'm still here, kiddo." He chuckled in response, hugging his son gently.

Greg eventually glanced at Pearl out of the corner of his eye, who he could see had gotten off of the counter and was standing near it. She was looking at Steven; her eyes were not clouded with loathing towards the child anymore, and they hinted at curiosity instead.

He turned to her, and she took a couple nervous steps back when she realized he'd noticed her watching.

"He's cute, isn't he?" He proposed with a friendly smile.

Pearl nodded, approaching Greg again.

"He looks like his mother, don't you think?"

The gem nodded again, stopping a few feet away from Greg and observing Steven more closely. He looked down at Steven, and then up at Pearl again, when he finally noticed something that was strange.

She was grinning, ever so slightly, for the first time in weeks.

The sight of it made Greg smile, too.

Greg decided to take advantage of the moment. "Pearl, do you... want to hold him?"

She seemed stunned by his offer- her face turned a light shade of blue and she blinked in surprise. She hesitated for several moments.

And then she took a small step forwards, dipping her head.

Greg carefully passed Steven to her, yet she somehow already knew how to hold him properly- probably from all the time she had spent staring at him. She looked down at the baby she was cradling in her arms, and he looked back, his eyes wide with confusion and interest, as he had never actually seen her before. Not this close, at least.

Steven then began to giggle. He reached up and grabbed ahold of her pointed nose with small hands, much to Greg's amusement.

"Hey, he likes you." He laughed, putting his hands in his pockets.

Pearl gently pushed his hands away, and she smiled at the baby, looking happier than she had in a long time. Steven began to make cute cooing noises, and she sat down on the couch, giving him a soft hug.

"Uh, hey... Pearl?" She looked up at him. "Could you maybe keep an eye on him for a bit? I've gotta get cleaned up- I've got things to do today, after all."

She nodded confidently.

"Thanks." He gave a slight thumbs up and began to leave, heading towards the door. Most of his stuff was in his van, after all. "It means a lot."

The door squeaked as he opened it, and he began to walk outside.

"Greg?"

Hearing Pearl's voice for the first time after what felt like forever startled him. He turned around, and he recognized the surprise in her eyes. Even she looked like she didn’t remember what her voice sounded like. But, nevertheless, she continued.

"Th-thank you."

He grinned and dipped his head, waving a goodbye to her. "No problem."

•••

Greg walked up to the beach house, dressed in jeans and one of his old band T-shirts, as well as his usual sandals that he wore constantly. He walked up the creaky wooden stairs, and pushed the door open, exclaiming, “I’m back! Did ya guys miss me?”

“Shh!” Amethyst hissed at him from across the room, so he immediately silenced himself. Amethyst began to chuckle under her breath as she pointed over at the couch. Greg couldn’t help but laugh as his gaze drifted to the couch as well.

Pearl was fast asleep on the sofa, leaning back against the armrest. Steven was still in her arms, but unlike the gem, he was wide awake, staring around the room in wonder.

Amethyst hopped over the kitchen counter and snatched a cheap flash camera out of the cabinets- which she probably stole from a store or an unsuspecting victim- and quickly snapped a picture of the heartwarming scene.

“I am sooooo getting this thing printed.” Amethyst cackled mischievously under her breath, eyeing the camera with a sly smirk on her face. “Pearl’s totally gonna deny this ever happened, but I’ve got the proof right here!”

“You really like to antagonize her, don’t you?” Greg sighed, smiling and shaking his head.

“It’s too much fun not to.” She declared, putting the camera back in the cabinet. Turning back to Greg, her expression shifted to a more serious one. “Besides that… is she... doing any better?”

 

“Well, she’s holding Steven right now, so I’d assume that means she doesn’t hate him as much as she did.” Greg pointed out, looking over to the tall gem still dozed off on the couch. “And, she finally spoke to me this morning.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah. She said ‘thanks,’ and that’s about it, but-”

“Dude, it’s a miracle she even said that! I think she was pretty determined to stay mute for a long time.” Amethyst praised him. “Nice work.” She said, giving him a thumbs up.

“She still needs some time, so… just be careful what you say to her, okay?”

Amethyst saluted, stating, “I won't let you down!” She then proceeded to break into a fit of laughter and prepare to leave, opening the door to her room in the temple. “Man, Garnet’s gonna flip when she hears that you got her to talk again!” She exclaimed, mostly to herself. Then the door closed itself behind her as she disappeared from sight.

Steven finally noticed his father standing by the door, and he giggled, wearing a big, bright grin. “Da!” He babbled, beginning to wriggle free of Pearl’s grasp.

Pearl stirred, opening her eyes slowly. When she saw the baby trying to escape, she chuckled under her breath in amusement. “Shh…” She cooed quietly, reaching out and pulling him close to her in a gentle cuddle.

“Gah!” Steven squealed in protest, squirming in an attempt to break free.

“Some people are trying to sleep here, Steven.” She laughed softly again, nuzzling him sweetly. He broke into a giggle fit, flailing his arms to try and crawl away to his dad, who still stood by the door.

Pearl still hadn’t noticed him standing there, and it was probably a good thing, too. He had the biggest grin on his face as he watched the unarguably adorable interaction between the two of them. 

Steven eventually went for her nose again, grabbing it with both of his hands and shouting a very determined “Yah!” at the same time.

Pearl was definitely laughing now. “Heh, you got me.” She pried his tiny fingers off of her, and then proceeded to boop his nose playfully. Steven scrunched up his face in response, which only made her chuckle more.

Steven, now partially free from the embrace, reached over Pearl’s shoulder with one hand, in the direction of his father. “Da!” He called out, smiling wide.

Pearl finally looked to where he Steven was pointing at, and her pupils constricted immediately as she spotted Greg, silhouetted by the light shining through the glass windows. She sat up in less than a second, holding Steven as normal, and her face flushed a shade of light blue in embarrassment.

Greg laughed at her reaction. “Calm down, Pearl. You're fine.” He reassured her with a wave of his hand. The gem relaxed a bit, but she still looked flustered. “Well... I can see you don't hate him anymore.” Greg shrugged, but immediately regretted what he said when she looked offended by his statement.

“I… I never hated him…” She protested, cradling the baby close to her. “I… just…”

“Yeah, I know. My bad.” Greg admitted, walking over to the couch. “Hate is a bit of a strong word, isn't it?”

She sighed. “But… you're kind of right, I suppose.” Greg could see that she still looked just as worn out as she had earlier that morning. “I… I don't really know who I blame for… Rose… but… I know I took it out on all of you. And I'm… I'm sorry.”

Greg nodded silently, so she continued. “I know Rose wanted us to take care of Steven for her… to be there for him, and protect him… and I'm going to do everything I can to help raise him.” Pearl turned her head to look at Greg, her eyes focused and sincere. “I promise.”

“Thank you, Pearl.” Greg offered her a comforting smile.

“Da! Da!” Steven cried out eagerly, reaching towards his father once more.

Pearl chuckled softly. “I think he’s tired of me.” She stood up and passed Steven back to his dad, and she offered a polite grin.

“Hey, Shtoo-ball. Don't worry, I was only gone for… uh, how long was I gone for?”

Pearl blinked. “I have no idea.”

Greg shrugged. “Eh, either way, I'm  
back now.” He sat down on the couch, sighing comfortably as he did.

“Well, I think I’m going to go back to my room.” Pearl announced, turning towards the temple door. “I'm still… a bit tired.”

“A bit? Don't you think that's a bit of an understatement?”

“Fine… I'm still quite tired.” She rolled her eyes. “Though I don't see why that matters.”

“You've earned your rest, Pearl.” He told her, giving a friendly smile. She began to leave, but he decided to speak up again. “Oh, by the way, Garnet and Amethyst are happy you're talking again. You should probably go see them sometime.”

“I'll be sure to.” Pearl nodded.

The white pearl adorned on her forehead glowed brightly as she opened the temple door, revealing her room on the other side. She stared at the numerous waterfall-like pillars scattered across it, and stepped partially through the doorway-

“Muh..?” Steven babbled aloud, watching Pearl as she began to leave. She turned to look at him, smiling warmly as she realized he was curious as to where she was going. “Muh!” He said again, louder this time.

“I'll be back soon, Steven.” She reassured, waving goodbye to him and his dad. “So don't worry.”

The tall gem disappeared as the door quietly shut.

“...Muh?” Steven looked back up at his dad, seemingly confused.

“Sorry kiddo, I've got no idea what you're trying to say to me.”

Greg shifted his gaze from his son, to the door, then back to his son. “You really are like your mother,” He remarked, now studying the portrait of her hanging above the front door. “You're barely even a month old, and you've… already saved somebody.

“Man.” Greg shook his head in disbelief. “You sure are something, aren't ya, Steven?”

Steven tilted his head innocently.

“Well I do know one thing.” Greg declared, cradling his son close to him. “You're going to be an amazing Crystal Gem.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed. c: Please leave me feedback, because I'd love to hear what people think of this so far.


End file.
